Vietnam was a faraway place most had never heard of, with different customs, food, weather and beliefs. Be it in the Northern Highlands, the Central Highlands, the Plains, the Mekong Delta, the southern rice paddies, over the South China Sea or into the village hamlets, the territory was strange and could change completely in a heartbeat. There were no “front lines”. No “in the rear with the gear”. It wasn’t a good place to be. Nowhere was safe— not even in Saigon, the capitol city.

That’s why the primary, government-issue sidearm is so prized. It is referred to as ‘the .45” or “the Colt .45” – as Colt made it famous, and many of them were Old Boys that had seen much service – some defending our troops against human-wave attacks in Korea, and others going back to active duty in World War II.

Many American lives were saved with the Colt .45. The knockdown power of that .45 ACP round is far superior to that of the NATO-issue 9mm. When you heft this 3 pounds of steel, you will remember – or know, for the first time – what real security feels like. Handy and heart-warming to wear on your hip or aside your chest.

In the hands of American troops, it engaged the enemy, eyeball-to-eyeball, with grunts who humped the boonies and set up – or were hit by – ambushes, with the Marines who held on at Khe Sanh, with jet jockeys in fast-movers over Hanoi and with the Brown-Water Sailors who patrolled up and down the Mekong in PBR’s… and it has become, today, one of the most famous firearms in world history. The NRA selected it as one of the 10 most-important firearms in American history — and it is part of the heritage of all of us who proudly call ourselves Americans.

Throughout time, it has been a military tradition for fighting forces to honor their warriors with the creation of special embellished military weapons of the type they carried in battle. And today, that tradition continues, as we proudly salute the Americans who served our country in the struggle for the preservation of freedom in Southeast Asia — and those who continued to support this lengthy endeavor.

History— and time— will judge the Americans who served there to be the heroes of that decade. Some were volunteers; some were draftees. Most had other lives to lead. But when duty called, they answered and served. We can take pride in their many accomplishments. They did with the leadership of our nation asked them to do, and they did it well.

Now, the largely unsung men and women who served – and the noble motivations and the American spirit that caused us to enter the conflict — are honored through the issuance of this remarkable and beautiful tribute. Whether or not you or a family member served in Vietnam, your ownership and display of this Colt .45 shows that you are proud of the Americans who answered the call to duty in this “Noble Cause”.

Simply put: This is arguably one of the most spectacular hand-engraved firearms ever made available to honor the Vietnam War. We wanted to create a firearm masterpiece that would be a permanent reminder of the proud men and women who served in the Vietnam War. It will be a handsome treasure you can proudly display, and it will certainly be a keepsake to pass down for generations.

To achieve this lofty goal, we designed it to be covered with hand engraving, using the

time-honored, hammer-and-chisel method. Of all the possible finishes for the ordinance steel, we mirror polished and plated it with genuine 24-karat gold — by far the most beautiful – and the most difficult and most expensive.

We have briefly overcome these great difficulties, so when you see this Colt .45 and hold it in your hand, you will understand. Each engraved curve, bamboo leaf, and the punch dot background shows the difference in hand engraving and any other technique, especially as the light reflects and sparkles across the engraved lines, hand cut with special, tiny, steel chisels, tapped by the engraver with a hammer.

And, speaking of bamboo leaves, look at the number of leaves that have to be hand-cut across the broad flats and curvatures of both sides of the slide, the top of the slide, the trigger, the thumb safety, and the slide stop.

Artisan Polishing & Laser-Engraved Details

Prior to this engraving, we polish the steel to a mirror finish, to produce a background that is the ideal ‘canvas’ for emphasizing the hand engraving. Like the hand engraving, the mirror polishing is an artisan technique; the number of fine-polishing craftsmen able to do this successfully has dwindled greatly over the years.

After the polishing is complete, the banners, the dragon, and Republic of Vietnam Service Medal are laser-engraved on the slide, and the dragon is hand chased by our engraver. Our engravers then are able to start adding the hand-engraved artwork: the top of the slide is expertly hand-engraved and features an outline of the map of Vietnam, along with the bamboo leaves and punch dot background.

Bamboo Grips!

As a perfect tie-in to the hand-engraved bamboo leaves that cover this pistol, the grips are made of bamboo, reminiscent of Vietnam. For America Remembers, this is the first time one of our Limited Edition Colt .45 Tributes has come with bamboo grips. Achieved by slicing the bamboo into very thin slivers, these are then mated back together to form a ‘solid’ piece of wood (similar to the expensive, hand-made fly rods of yesteryear).

Edition Limit: Only 250

Due to the great amount of time and talent required to create each of these individual masterpieces, we have set the edition limit at only 250 — just one to represent each 10,000 Americans of the 2,500,000 who served. These are being created, one at a time. Your firearm is custom engraved with its Limited Edition No. between 001 and 250, and the Edition No. is also entered on the Certificate of Authenticity that accompanies your pistol.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Do not hesitate to order your Tribute today. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received. You can mail us your reservation form, or to prioritize your order and confirm availability, call us toll-free at 1-800-682-2291. We will arrange delivery of your working pistol through the licensed firearms dealer of your choice. And, as always, you’ll receive the Tribute with our 30-day guarantee of satisfaction. If you are not completely satisfied with your Tribute after your personal inspection, you may return it to us within 30 days in original unfired condition for a complete and courteous refund.

Sometimes it seems that opportunities will be around forever. Not so with this, due to the low edition limit of only 250, due to the extremely high level of skill that must go into it. So please contact us immediately, if this appeals to your sense of patriotism and your love of fine firearms.

Secure Your Tribute Today

All those who served in Vietnam deserve an honored place in America’s history. When America called, they answered. They didn’t hesitate to put their lives on the line and give everything in service to our country. Whether you are a veteran who answered the call to duty in Vietnam, a history buff, a collector of fine firearms, or you wish to honor your father, husband, brother, or other family member, this Vietnam War Golden Anniversary Tribute Pistol will surely be a special Tribute and an ongoing reminder of their dedicated service to our country. Order your Vietnam War Golden Anniversary Tribute Pistol today and secure one of only 250 of these hand-engraved tributes to those who served in Vietnam.

An optional custom-built, wooden display case is available for purchase.

Shipping Procedures

Since the “Vietnam War Golden Anniversary Tribute Colt .45” is a working Colt® .45 pistol, we will arrange delivery through a licensed firearms dealer of your choice. (Not available in California or Massachusetts)

Order

I wish to reserve the “Vietnam War Golden Anniversary Tribute Colt .45”, a working Colt .45 pistol, at the current issue price of $3,295.* Each Tribute is numbered within the edition limit of 250, and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Thirty-day return privilege.

Please charge my credit card a deposit of $195 per pistol. I will pay the balance at the rate of $100 per month, with no interest or carrying charge.

* All orders are subject to acceptance and credit verification prior to shipment. Sales tax is required in certain states and will be added. Shipping and handling will be added to each order. Virginia residents please add sales tax.

Please charge my credit card a deposit of $195 per tribute. I will pay the balance at the rate of $100 per month, with no interest or carrying charge.

Optional Display Case: *

I also wish to reserve the optional luxuriously lined custom made Display Case with locking glass lid. Please add $159 to my deposit at this time. ($159.00)

I do not wish to order the optional luxuriously lined custom made Display Case at this time.